The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project’s path has been selected, according to a news release from the Public Service Enterprise Group.
The proposed 70-mile transmission line through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties is on track to be operational by June 2027. PSEG has been contracted by PJM, the organization that operates and plans Maryland’s electric grid, to build the $424 million project. The project aims to increase energy reliability and support consumer affordability while minimizing the impact on residents and the environment, said Jason Kalwa, who manages the energy project for the Public Service Enterprise Group.
The path was selected because it would impact fewer homes and buildings, crosses fewer conservation easements, and because it is shorter and with fewer turns, PSEG officials said.
Dawn Shilkoski, a project manager for PSEG, told reporters at an online news conference Thursday that the route was selected because it scored highly on social, engineering and land-use criteria. Land-use criteria include minimizing impacts to agricultural and conservation lands, and social criteria include avoiding residential areas and historic sites.